Snack World - May 2013 - (Page 36)

STATE OF THE INDUSTRY REPORT 11 issue this year, Forbes magazine asked, “Popchips: The Next $1 Billion Snack Food or Just Full of Hot Air?” In this article, Popchips founder and CEO Keith Belling said, “We set out to do something completely different by applying the science of one product to another.” By applying heat and pressure to bases such as potatoes and corn, the company is redefining snacks in these categories. Popchips kettle corn snacks feature a sweet and salty flavor, and corn snacks like any salty snack has to make a flavor impact to attract consumer attention. PERFECT PUFFS To reach new consumers, Evans Food Group Ltd., Chicago, extended its Mac’s line beyond pork skins and cracklins with new hot picante flavor Corn Crunchers and Tortilla Strips. “ And to be introduced next on the pipeline from us are new Chipotle Corn Chips and Black Bean and Chili Corn Chips,” said Jim Frazier, the company’s senior vice-president and general manager. “We manufacture our pork products ourselves, and we work with a co-packer to produce the corn-based products.” Whether it is a potato chip, pretzel or extruded-based corn product, snacks have to deliver an impact with flavor, noted William (Chip) Mann II, president of Pretzels, Inc., Bluffton, IN. While known mostly for its pretzel products, the company also manufactures corn snacks like cheese puffs, crunchy curls and corn pops made with a cornmeal base. In fact, corn pops or puffs like those Frito-Lay’s Chesters corn snacks can meet a very specific need in snacking. Corn puffs cater to wide demographic from young children to senior citizens because they are very easy to chew, especially when compared to kernel popcorn with hulls. Mikesell’s Snack Food Co., Dayton, OH, expanded its line of Puffcorn Delites with a Cinnamon Toast variety, which it claims are for those moments when craving something sweet. “New Cinnamon Toast Puffcorn tastes like a lightly buttered cinnamon roll fresh from the oven,” the company noted. “If it’s not the perfect snack, it comes as close as we’re able.” Corn-based snacks are a great medium for flavors, Mr. Mann said, noting that nearly all of the corn snacks it produces have either an oil-based or dry seasoning. “People are looking for hot and spicy flavors, such as jalapeño, hot cheddars and those types of things,” he added. “The potato chip category kind of leads the way for flavors, and the other categories tend to see what is happening, see what is exciting in the market and then apply that to corn-based products.” Corn snacks offer amazing opportunities for producers to offer flavorful snacks. — Shane Whitaker Snack Nuts and Seeds Premium Flavors On-the-Go With consumers pursuing ever-faster lives and looking for more nutritious snacking options, snack producers in the nuts and seeds business find an opportunity for growth. In the past year, the category’s dollar sales increased 9.2%, on the heels of 7.9% growth reported by last year’s State of the Industry report. Snack nut and seed manufacturers meet consumer needs by offering premium products, new flavors and grab-and-go packages and products. “Consumers are increasingly eating on the go because they’re on the go,” said Howard Brandeisky, vice-president, BROUGHT TO YOU BY J.R. SHORT, HEAT AND CONTROL, MINSA, PRINTPACK, READING THERMAL, RUDOPLH FOODS, AND TNA NORTH AMERICA 36 Snack World May 2013 www.sfa.org global marketing and customer solutions, John B. Sanfilippo & Son, Inc., Elgin, IL. “You see this in a lot of different categories, but there are a lot of opportunities for nuts in that.” Sanfilippo’s Fisher Nuts brand takes advantage of that opportunity with its four new mammoth pecan products: Roasted Salted, Praline, Cinnamon and Honey Roasted. The pecans come in a 4.5- to 5.5-oz package. “They are perfect for http://www.sfa.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Snack World - May 2013

Snack World - May 2013